Sunday, 7 October 2007
A STROLL IN THE GARDEN- PADDY MCCARTNEY
This week (and next!) we are in Paddy McCartney’s fabulous organic garden in Greencastle. Paddy is a very well known entertainer around the peninsula (and beyond) with his unique blend of singing and storytelling. Paddy is also very passionate about his garden and has just finished running a course linked to the Western Organic Network on growing organically. He ran the practical course in his own garden and hopes it will be an annual event.
How long have you been working on the garden?
About twenty years. The garden was initially just at the front of the cottage but I have slowly been working my way down the fields.
What is your favourite plant?
I have lots of them depending on the time of year. The Pieris Forestii holds lovely memories of my friend Albert, who has sadly passed away, as we got the plants together. Verbenas are looking good at the moment, especially the Bonariensis. They do not need staking and are in flower for five months of the year. Butterflies love them and they are easily propagated.
What is your favourite feature in the garden?
Although it isn’t a garden feature as such, I do get a lot of pleasure looking out of the living room window at the garden. From there I can see the rockery and the pond with the birds splashing around in the water.
What is your favourite season and why?
I love the spring as it is the time of new growth and looking forward to the growing year ahead.
What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?
Planting seeds of the flowers and vegetables. Even after all the years of planting it still amazes me that seeds so small can eventually grow into giant plants, trees and shrubs. I enjoy getting an early start to the year in the glasshouse. A glasshouse can extend the season too. I am growing late sweet peas, dahlias, chrysanths and cosmos under cover for a forthcoming wedding in a few weeks.
Top Gardening tips?
People ask me when is the best time to plant things. My answer to this is whenever you have the time, take the notion or have a spade handy!
Mulch the garden. Put in plenty of organic matter. If you have newspapers you can recycle those into the compost bins or beds and borders to save you the bother of taking them to the recycling centres.
Avoid the glut of home grown vegetables in summer. Don’t grow too much of one type.
More from Paddy next week….
How long have you been working on the garden?
About twenty years. The garden was initially just at the front of the cottage but I have slowly been working my way down the fields.
What is your favourite plant?
I have lots of them depending on the time of year. The Pieris Forestii holds lovely memories of my friend Albert, who has sadly passed away, as we got the plants together. Verbenas are looking good at the moment, especially the Bonariensis. They do not need staking and are in flower for five months of the year. Butterflies love them and they are easily propagated.
What is your favourite feature in the garden?
Although it isn’t a garden feature as such, I do get a lot of pleasure looking out of the living room window at the garden. From there I can see the rockery and the pond with the birds splashing around in the water.
What is your favourite season and why?
I love the spring as it is the time of new growth and looking forward to the growing year ahead.
What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?
Planting seeds of the flowers and vegetables. Even after all the years of planting it still amazes me that seeds so small can eventually grow into giant plants, trees and shrubs. I enjoy getting an early start to the year in the glasshouse. A glasshouse can extend the season too. I am growing late sweet peas, dahlias, chrysanths and cosmos under cover for a forthcoming wedding in a few weeks.
Top Gardening tips?
People ask me when is the best time to plant things. My answer to this is whenever you have the time, take the notion or have a spade handy!
Mulch the garden. Put in plenty of organic matter. If you have newspapers you can recycle those into the compost bins or beds and borders to save you the bother of taking them to the recycling centres.
Avoid the glut of home grown vegetables in summer. Don’t grow too much of one type.
More from Paddy next week….
Horticultural.
BAT AND MOTH EVENING AT SWAN PARK
Photo: George McDermott talks about the importance of having a healthy moth population around the peninsula. Few people see live bats even though they make up about a quarter of all land mammals in Ireland. Too redress this balance Emmet Johnson, the Inishowen Wildlife Ranger, held a bat spotting evening in Swan Park, Buncrana last week. As night fell, the crowd shone their torches into the dark hoping to see the night creatures swooping down to catch their prey of midges and moths.
“Bats can be misunderstood,” said Emmet. “They are very clean creatures and contrary to popular belief, do not dive down and get tangled in your hair. All bats have fantastic sonar skills and if they can zoom in on an insect 2mm long whilst avoiding obstacles, they can surely avoid people’s hair. The probable reason for the myth is that midges tend to be attracted to people when they are out walking and the bats are going for them”
There are nine species of bat in Ireland (none of them suck your blood!) The largest one, Leisler’s bat has a wingspan up to 300mm and the smallest one called the Pipistrelle (which is the most common) would be small enough to fit into a matchbox. The Pipistrelle eats up to 3000 midges every evening throughout the summer, making them an ideal garden friend.
Bats have a difficulty finding suitable nesting sites. Modern sealed houses, the loss of hedgerows and pesticide spraying are just a few examples of the bats losing their nests and feeding areas. However if we don’t cut down old dead tree stumps and let bats live in the eves, this will help to address the balance”
“If you do have bats in your attic and are not happy having them as houseguests, then wait until they have left the building around the end of this month before you try to seal the gaps” suggests Emmet.
George McDermott the Buncrana town gardener, (who is quickly becoming Inishowen’s butterfly and moth expert), showed us his moth trap which consists of a bright light and a container filled with egg boxes which the moths hide under. The moths are attracted to the light (as they are attracted to the moon).
“Ireland has over 1000 species of moths,” said George. “Many of them are night fliers to avoid predators (apart from bats of course). Most moths are beautifully coloured and these traps allow us to make an accurate assessment of the wide variety we are getting around the peninsula. They are safely released after they have been identified”. For more information check out www.nature.ie
Environmental.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
DOAGH ISLAND VISITORS CENTRE
Photo's: Doagh island visitors centre in Inishowen.
The seaweed was the staple diet at the time of the famine.
A STROLL IN THE GARDEN- DONAL DOHERTY
Donal Doherty from Carndonagh showed me around his extremely productive garden this week. Donal has always had a keen interest in all things green and spends more time in the garden after retiring from 37 years working for the Inishowen oil Company. Before that, Donal worked for a company called JJ and LF Goodbody in Carndonagh, who made jute sacking for packaging potatoes for export. When he isn’t gardening Donal is running marathons and half marathons as well as 5 and 10 km races. He has recently won a national medal from the Athletics Association of Ireland for coming second in a half marathon (I really should exercise more!)
How long have you been working on the garden?
30 years. I set the trees and laid out the lawns. I have worked with potatoes for longer than that though. My father inspired me as he always had the earliest spuds in Carndonagh.
What is your favourite plant?
I think the curly Kale is very versatile. It is great for winter and spring use.
What is your favourite feature in the garden?
I have been working with bees for year and I love the hives. I got the queen and fifteen workers to feed her from Buckfast abbey. I would recommend Goriston College in County Meath if anyone wanted to take a course on beekeeping
What is your favourite season and why?
The spring. There is so much work to be done
What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?
Planting seeds and seeing the fruits of my labour
Any irritations in the garden. How do you cope?
Nothing at all. Its all part of the cycle. If plants are in the right place with companion planting they look after themselves.
What is your best gardening tool?
I have a great fork that I use all of the time.
Top gardening tip?
Take it easy and enjoy the garden. The journey of 10,000 leagues starts with a single step.
Any plans for the future?
I would like to get the garden designed at some stage but I am happy with things as they are in the meantime.
Horticultural.
CLONMANY SHOW
Photo's : Some of the delights on display at the Clonmany show.
It is harvesting time for a lot of vegetables. We didn’t plant too much this year but are getting plenty of mangetout, beans and courgettes. These are easy crops to harvest and picking encourages more veggies to come so they are very productive. The peas, spinach and salad are doing well too though the sweet corn looks like it might not produce much this year for us as we planted it a bit late.
I went to the Clonmany Agricultural Show last week, which was part of the 40th Clonmany festival. I enjoyed looking at the home industries competition, particularly at the different types of potatoes that are grown around the peninsula and ready for early harvesting now. If you fancy a change from spuds though why not consider Jerusalem artichokes.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES
I have heard that Jerusalem artichokes make a good alternative to spuds, what are they and how can I grow them. Thanks E.M. by E-mail
Reply
There isn’t much to touch the humble spud. You can tire easily from eating pasta or rice everyday, but there’s nothing like a big bowl of mash to fill you up. Jerusalem artichokes would make a pleasant change to the usual fare but they do have a distinct flavour and not everyone likes the taste. Those that do will relish the soup that it makes. If you know anyone who has the crop then you could get some tubers from them to make a start. If not, garden centres usually stock them. The plants need to grow until the leaves turn brown in autumn. Either harvest all of the tubers and pick some small ones to plant next year or do as the French do and leave the ones that stay on the stems in the ground to grow on for next year.
PREPARATION
Wash and scrub the tubers in water. If they are smooth, cut away the roots and tips. When peeled put them in water. Knobbly artichokes are best boiled in their skins for about ten minutes until half cooked. Then run them under the cold tap and peel the skins off.
I went to the Clonmany Agricultural Show last week, which was part of the 40th Clonmany festival. I enjoyed looking at the home industries competition, particularly at the different types of potatoes that are grown around the peninsula and ready for early harvesting now. If you fancy a change from spuds though why not consider Jerusalem artichokes.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES
I have heard that Jerusalem artichokes make a good alternative to spuds, what are they and how can I grow them. Thanks E.M. by E-mail
Reply
There isn’t much to touch the humble spud. You can tire easily from eating pasta or rice everyday, but there’s nothing like a big bowl of mash to fill you up. Jerusalem artichokes would make a pleasant change to the usual fare but they do have a distinct flavour and not everyone likes the taste. Those that do will relish the soup that it makes. If you know anyone who has the crop then you could get some tubers from them to make a start. If not, garden centres usually stock them. The plants need to grow until the leaves turn brown in autumn. Either harvest all of the tubers and pick some small ones to plant next year or do as the French do and leave the ones that stay on the stems in the ground to grow on for next year.
PREPARATION
Wash and scrub the tubers in water. If they are smooth, cut away the roots and tips. When peeled put them in water. Knobbly artichokes are best boiled in their skins for about ten minutes until half cooked. Then run them under the cold tap and peel the skins off.
Horticultural.
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